GOd Is In Your Boat
Jesus biographers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell numerous “boat stories” during Jesus’ ministry (. Boats were a significant manner of transportation to destinations around the Sea of Galilee since one could get from one place to another in less time. However, the sea could be a dangerous place because it was prone to storms, some violent. The Sea of Galilee is surrounded by mountains and desert areas beyond that. The lake itself lies 680 feet below sea level and is, therefore, very warm. The air in the mountains is much cooler, and when the cooler air rushes down from the hills, it meets the cold air, causing rapid, sometimes fierce storms.
Jesus sometimes had to teach from boats since the crowds would crowd around him so intensely they would nearly push him into the lake. Fortunately, some of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen by trade and owned fishing businesses. The Teacher often directed his followers to take a boat across the lake to their next destination. This travel opened them to the possibility of encountering storms. Sometimes, they were traveling late into the night. The fishermen of the group were accustomed to fishing on the lake at night, so this was nothing unusual for them. They had weathered numerous lake storms.
However, one evening, the group headed across the lake late at night. They were all exhausted from days of following Jesus while he taught and healed people, the crowds often crushing around him. Meanwhile, the disciples were helping the Teacher administer the crowd. I suppose they wore black T-shirts that read “Security” in large white letters. The whole ordeal was hard work for everyone.
During the night, a massive storm erupted on the lake and began to swamp the boat. The mates were frantically trying to bale water from the boat but were not gaining ground. It was possible the boat would sink and take them with it. The disciples were in panic mode, thinking, we’re going to die tonight! Meanwhile, Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat, lying on a cushion. The storm was not bothering him at all. Some people can sleep through anything – especially Jesus.
The disciples noticed that Jesus was not arousing, and it ticked them off. “We are sinking and about to die while our leader is sleeping in the back of the boat. Couldn’t he at least get up and start helping!” So they approached their snoozing friend, yelling, “Hey, Teacher, we are about to die here, and you are not helping matters at all.”
Jesus woke up, yawned, and stretched while the anxious crew watched his reaction. Then he quietly arose and firmly told the winds and water to calm down, which they did. The water went dead calm. Jesus then spoke. “Don’t you guys have any faith yet? Why don’t you believe me when I tell you who I am?”
This episode was early in Jesus’ ministry, and the disciples had not traveled with the Teacher very long. They were still trying to figure out who he really was and what he could do. Jesus taught them a lasting faith lesson that night and revealed his identity again. They would take another step forward in their faith development and knowledge of the truth about their leader.
They learned that Jesus could sleep through storms because he controlled them. Storms did not bother their creator. If they would attach themselves to him, they would experience the same kind of peace – one which weathers the storms without fear.
The disciples had every right to be terrified by that storm, for they might well die on that fateful night. Every factor of their situation pointed to their demise, except one. They were unaware of one critical fact. God was in their boat, and all things are possible with God.
Over the course of the next few years, Jesus’ followers would have several other “boat” stories to tell. Jesus would teach them important lessons about his identity and power. But one thing stands out among all those lessons: when God is in your boat, everything changes. Each new lesson would increase these men’s faith and understanding of God.
There are two kinds of faith.
1.) “Saving” faith is when a person believes that God loves them and wants a personal relationship with them through Jesus. Saving faith understands and accepts that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. He lived a perfect, sinless life and died on their behalf. He was then raised to life on the third day, never to die again. Saving faith believes that Jesus can and will impart eternal life through his Holy Spirit into the believer’s spirit. God now dwells in them by his Spirit. Saving faith is a one-time decision that completely changes one’s eternity. The saved person is now destined to exist with God in heaven through eternity.
2.) “Growing” faith is the process each believer experiences throughout the remainder of their life. This faith grows as the believer interacts with God each new day. Just like the disciples whose faith increased after seeing Jesus calm the storm, the saved followers’ faith increases as they witness God’s love and power daily. This process continues until the believer passes from this life to eternal life.
When you experience saving faith, you realize that God is your boat. He loves you, and He is for you. God is there no matter what comes down the pike in your life, good or bad. He is always in your boat.
I have a suggestion. Memorize this fact. God is in my boat. He loves me, and he is for me. Tell yourself this fact each new day. Recall this fact when you are facing a storm. Remember this truth when you are trying to figure things out and are unsure of yourself. Recite it over and over again. You will not regret that decision.
God is in your boat!
Live Inspired!
Don Mark
